Falling Trees. A different sort of love story. The domain of the Wood Witch. (standard:fantasy, 5868 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jun 30 2020	Views/Reads: 1434/966	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Deep in the Maine woods sits a small town of around five-thousand individuals.It doesn't particularly welcome strangers -- especially tourists or people different from the normal, especially witches..

Deep in the Maine woods sits a small town of around five-thousand
individuals. Somewhat of a closed community, it doesn't particularly 
welcome strangers -- especially tourists. Local families have, in most 
part, been there over a half-dozen generations. If you or I would move 
in, we'd be accepted but not included in the intricacies of a complex 
social network where your status might be determined by your 
great-grandparent's actions. 

John and Margie Evans were finding that out. John, a retired accountant,
ignored village politics, being more interested in a lifelong dream of 
a quiet retirement deep in rural America. To that end, they had spent 
their savings on a fifty-acre tract several miles outside of town. 

Their dream culminated in a large six-room log cabin found deep inside
their new property. It was a fairly isolated patch of overgrown forest 
that for some reason locals had allowed to return to nature, alone amid 
miles of wheat and corn fields. 

On initial inspection, in the company of a land agent, John had found
the remains of various homes, overgrown with mature trees and vines at 
one corner of his property, along with one half-acre of cleared space 
containing deep square holes, half-caved in. 

“This used to be an archaeological dig,” Mr Twinker from the realty
company told him. “Don't worry, they finished long ago and aren't 
interested any longer. It's not classed as a historical site and you're 
free to do with it as you wish.” 

The large modern log cabin seemed to be a recent addition, set in a
cleared space among otherwise primeval nature. The realty company had 
made needed repairs and connected some of the utilities such as 
electricity and even city water, though they were to still use a septic 
tank left by the last owners. It had been inspected and judged as 
functional. In other terms, an inside toilet. 

A moving van had managed to traverse a driveway of packed dirt covered
by stone and had left for a long trip back to the city. The last of the 
day before and present morning had been spent in moving furniture 
around and making lists of needed supplies. 

Finally, though, the couple had free time to study the outside of their
new home. 

“I tried out the beauty parlor in town,” Margie said, relaxing in a lawn
chair on the back porch while listening to birds chirping in nearby 
trees. “They were friendly enough but not being included in casual talk 
was annoying. One lady talked about her chocolate chip cookie recipe. 
When I tried to give advice about using real butter instead of oleo, I 
was ignored. Simply ignored.” 

“It takes time, dear. Remember, you're not back home. We have to make
new friends here.” 

She sighed. “I know. But at least they could have nodded at me. I was
simply ignored.” 

“The same with me at the hardware store. When I approached the counter,
there were three guys talking. They didn't make room for me, just let 
me stand for minutes before the clerk deigned to notice.” 

The two sat in silence for a minute, lost in their own thoughts. 

“We'll need to plow this yard up and reseed it with real grass,” John
observed. “That may be a problem. Who knows how deep those roots are?” 

"And some of the oldest trees are falling down, honey.” Margie observed.
“Especially that big one behind the house. Someday, mark my words, a 
storm will bring it crashing down on our roof," Margie told her 
husband, pointing at a huge elm seen from the porch. 

The tree, fifty or sixty feet high and ten-feet thick at the base, was
leaning dangerously toward their home. 

He and wife had chosen the place at least partially because it was so
isolated. It stood in a cleared space in the middle of a small forest. 


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